


Shit, Let's Be Summer Camp Stuck

by professionalmomfriend (mothmanwashere)



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Betas are college students, Campstuck, Fluff, M/M, Summer Camp AU, alphas are elementary schoolers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-02
Updated: 2015-01-02
Packaged: 2018-03-04 21:56:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3092054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mothmanwashere/pseuds/professionalmomfriend
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Your name is Dave Strider and all you planned to do on your summer break from college was play video games and hang out with your boyfriend.  Instead, you ended up agreeing to be a summer camp counselor.  So there's that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shit, Let's Be Summer Camp Stuck

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tufrog](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tufrog/gifts).



> Happy Giftstuck! This fic is dedicated, of course, to demurecat, who I was secret santa to! I know you said coffee shop au, but... well, there can be an au within an au, right? I hope you enjoy your present, friend. :)
> 
> This story is written as a series of snippets over the course of six weeks -- hopefully the breaks suffice to let you know where there is a time jump!
> 
> Also, DaveKat is the absolute bees knees. Maybe even the bees elbows. It's just the most magnificent pairing.

“What.”

“I am going. Roxy and Dirk are going. Practically everyone else we associate with is going,” Rose informs you casually. “You should come as well. Honestly, Dave, are you going to tell me that you are really planning to spend the entire summer playing video games?”

“Uh, yeah? Isn't that what kids usually do with their summers? I mean, we only get three months, shouldn't we be making the most of that shit?”

“You're twenty years old, Dave. And it's only a six week camp. What if I told you Karkat was going as well?”

“I'd call bullshit. Karkat hates kids.”

“His name is on the sheet.” Rose slides a sheet of paper across the table and turns it so that you can read the names listed in various colors of ink. As she said, “Karkat Vantas” is scrawled in lazy purple letters. However, it is directly below the name “Gamzee Makara” written in the same exact ink and handwriting.

“Gamzee put Karkat's name on there,” you tell your sister. She rolls her eyes and retracts the paper.

“Obviously. But a name is a name. Besides, the Maryams runs this camp, and Karkat has spent quite a few summers up there with them.”

You stare skeptically at your sister from across the kitchen table and try to debate how serious she is about this whole “being summer camp counselors” shit.

She's probably pretty serious.

Rose ignores you for a minute in favor of writing out something in her notebook, and you whip out your phone to text Karkat.

– turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG] at 13:04 – 

TG: yo you seriously let gamzee sign you up for maryams summer camp bullshit

CG: TEREZI AND KANAYA GANGED UP ON ME AND GAMZEE WROTE MY NAME BEFORE I COULD PROTEST THIS INHUMAN METHOD OF TORTURE. 

TG: you know there is only three months until we both return to our SEPARATE colleges in SEPARATE states

CG: DAVE, OUR SCHOOLS ARE TWENTY MINUTES APART AND WE SEE EACH OTHER AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK. BUT YES, I KNOW WE WERE PLANNING TO SPEND THE ENTIRE SUMMER TOGETHER. JUST, PLEASE GO WITH ME?

TG: k 

CG: I COULD KISS YOU, STRIDER. 

TG: shit babe you better follow through on that promise <3 

“So can I add your name to the list, brother dear?”

You look up at Rose and slip your phone into your pants pocket as you slide back from the table. “If it helps your girlfriend sell enough cookies to get her kiddie camper sash badge for 'Enlisted Most Poor Souls To Wrangle Tiny Demon Spawn', I guess I can spare the better part of my hard-earned summer vacation to spend in the godforsaken, mosquito-infested forest.”

Rose does that little smile thing where she looks like she knows what's going on in your head better than you do. Which she probably does, sometimes. God, you hate that. “Thank you, Dave. I'll let Kanaya know right away.”

“Cool.”

CG: I'LL SEE YOU TONIGHT, DAVE. <3 

– carcinoGeneticist [CG] is now an idle chum! – 

Rose pushes back from the table as you grin stupidly at your phone and says, “Oh. And we'll be leaving on Monday at eight am.”

 

~~~

 

Camp is just as bad as you expected. Rose wasn't shitting you when she said everyone was going, because not only are all of the people you consider your friends here, but their younger siblings and cousins make up nearly half of the kids you're wrangling. You and John are the counselors in cabin #4. Karkat is in Cabin #6 with Gamzee, which is two cabins further away than you'd hoped he'd be. Karkat told you the first day of camp that Kanaya had tried to put the two of you in the same cabin, but her mom found out and put the kibosh on that. God damn it, Ms. Maryam.

You get to see Karkat at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and at 2 o'clock every day when your cabin's schedule overlaps with cabin #6's schedule for water sports and dodgeball on alternating days. Which is fine by you, because it means you get to see Karkat in a wet t-shirt every two days (and in a dry one on the off days, come on, your mind isn't ALWAYS in the gutter), even if you don't really get the chance to talk to him. But all you really get to spend with Karkat are Saturday nights, when the senior counselors get an entire two and a half hours to themselves while the kids play games with the staff and high school counselors. It's definitely not enough, in your opinion. You don't think you've experienced a single day in your life that had enough Karkat in it.

Since the first day you met Karkat Vantas in that hipstery coffee shop off main street before your Senior year of high school, you knew he was more than met the eye. Like, to the naked eye he looked like a kid whose growth was stunted by the overwhelming anger that radiated from his person; a seemingly perpetual grudge against the entire world evident in the furrow between his dark eyebrows and the set to his jaw. Not far from the truth, really, but it was exaggerated until you got to know him better. For one thing, a man who reads that many romance novels can't be all that angry all the time. For another, most of the irritation he takes out on the world is brought about by his unpredictable bouts of insomnia. The bags under his eyes aren't just his desired aesthetic.

The first time you met him in that stupid coffee shop was the first time you asked him out. He said no.

The second and third times you met him in that stupid coffee shop he also said no. It wasn't until the two of you met in the library after crossing paths probably a dozen times and somehow managed to get to know each other without really hanging out, that he asked you to go get some coffee some time.

Which is how you ended up going on your first date with Karkat Vantas in the very same coffee shop that he had turned you down in thrice. Funny how that works, isn't it?

The two of you have been dating steadily ever since, and you've basically made it your personal mission in life to know Karkat better than anyone else. You're fairly certain it's worked, though his family might have the tiniest leg up on you there. But you and Karkat are coming up on your third anniversary just after school starts. Three years already? Damn. You remind yourself to get him a nice present.

You are suddenly broken out of your thoughts by a dodgeball to the back of the head, courtesy of a poorly aimed shot from one of the kids in your cabin. You mutter a loud, rather deadpan “ow” that comes off as insincere to you and everyone within earshot. Cronus winces and asks if you're okay. You pat his head and send him back into the game with mild reassurance that you'll get over it and live. Karkat's eyebrows twitch inward and he mouths, “You ok?” from across the room. You flash him a thumbs up and try not to rub the stinging spot where the ball hit you.

Since you got hit, you're out, so you take a seat against the wall and rest your arms on your knees. One of the kids from your cabin, Horuss, opted out of the game and so sidles up beside you. You turn your head to look at him as he watches the game at hand with rapt attention. “You good, li'l man?”

“Most excellent,” Horuss says. “Rufioh, watch out!” A red dodgeball bounces off of Rufioh's shoulder and sends him off court to join you and Horuss. Rufioh sits right beside Horuss and slings an arm across his friend's shoulder. The two of them root valiantly for all of their friends, and you join them, albeit a bit less vocally.

When your little brother hits Karkat square in the stomach with a ball, you wince on his behalf and make a mental note to give Dirk a noogie before dinner, but Karkat joins you and the steadily growing group of kids on your right. You nudge Karkat with your elbow until he looks your direction. “You good?”

“Your brother might be scrawny, but he throws a mean dodgeball.” Karkat's voice is slightly huskier than usual, and you can't help but chuckle.

“I'll give him shit for it later, don't worry.”

“Good.” Karkat rests his head on your shoulder and part of you suddenly feels more relaxed than you have since finals week ended.

Yeah. Karkat's more than he seems. He's good for you.

 

~~~

 

You've been at camp for two weeks when you slip out of bed about an hour after lights out and stealthily try to pull your sneakers on. John stirs in the bunk beside you. “Dave?”

“Shh.”

“Where are you going?”

“For a walk.”

“It's after lights out.”

“No shit, John. I'll be back. Don't wait up.”

“But Dave...”

You slip out the creaky cabin door and head for the showers. The shower hall is grody as fuck, and you wouldn't stand in there barefoot if someone was holding a gun to your head. But in the shower hall is supposed to be a short, grumpy brunet who you are absolutely desperate to have five minutes alone with, so you make sure the laces of your sneakers aren't dragging and step inside. This place is kind of freaky looking in the dark, since the skylights that provide the majority of the light only provide a view of the starry night sky. There are a few old, flickering safety lights mounted between each skylight, providing enough light to see by. Okay, note to self – don't come in here alone at night. Jesus dicks, this is legit the setting of some B-horror flick.

“I thought you'd never get your ass here,” comes a slightly raspy voice that sounds absolutely divine to your ears. Karkat steps out of one of the stalls and levels you with an unimpressed look. “Do you know how creepy this place is at night?”

“Aw, were you scared babe? Don't worry, your knight-in-shining armor is here to save you from the freaky shower monsters.”

“Fuck you, if anyone is the knight in this relationship, it's me.”

“We're both knights, then,” you compromise. Karkat snorts, before stepping forward to bury his face in your neck. “God, I miss you. Why do I miss you? I've seen you every goddamned day for the last two and a half weeks.”

“Because we planned to spend the whole summer at my place, and ended up being enlisted into your foster mom's summer camp instead?”

Karkat hums against your skin and it sends a shiver down your back. You nose your way into his hair and even though it smells mostly like camp and sweat, there's still a bit of Karkat's shampoo in there, and it's comforting. “Yeah, I guess. God, are we really only a third of the way through?”

“Yeah. It'll be over in no time, babe. And then we've still got a whole month to do what we planned to do,” you remind him with a nudge. He snickers.

“Being lazy fucks who sit in their boxers playing video games all day?”

“Exactly.” You grin and wrap your arms around him, setting your chin comfortably on the top of his head. He growls softly, because he hates being reminded that you're taller than him, but he wraps his arms around you in return. “So, you wish we'd have stayed home?”

Karkat sighs. “Yes and no. I mean, it's sort of fun here. Kind of. In the loosest terms of 'fun' possible. I still hate kids. But they're not so bad, I guess.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. And I mean, it's not like we got hit with the worst possible co-counselors, either.”

“Heh, yeah, imagine if you got Gamzee.”

“Oh god, if Gamzee was in my cabin, one of us would not be breathing right now. And spoiler alert: I would be the one breathing.”

“Jesus, Dave, I don't understand how you can hate the guy so much.”

“It's not even like I started it man, but there's no going back now.”

“Well, if I couldn't be in your cabin, I guess I'm glad you got John. At least he'll cover for you when we sneak out to rendezvous in the shower hall.”

“I didn't tell him that's what we were doing, so if we do get caught, he can deny he knew about it. But I think he knows anyway.”

“He might be a dweeb, but he's not an idiot.”

“Yeah.” You tip your head forward a little to kiss the top of Karkat's head. “We should probably head back to our cabins before we get caught. Despite the fact that it's two hours after lights out, we're not the only couple separated by camp and a couple dozen elementary schoolers this summer.”

Karkat lets out a sad little noise that you feel in your soul, and your sentiment is the same. “I guess.” Karkat extracts himself from your grip until you're just gripping the sides of each others' sweatshirts. “Love you, Dave.”

“Love you too, Karkat.”

He pulls you in for a kiss, which lingers a little longer than you planned, but not nearly as long as you'd like, before he releases you with a smile and slips out of the shower hall. You count to ten, check your reflection in the slightly warped mirror, and follow his lead.

Karkat has already disappeared, and you head quickly across the gravel circle that all the cabins are situated around. You're about ten steps from your cabin when you hear your name, and your heart sinks into your toes.

Karkat's guardian, Delores Maryam, is standing behind you, looking incredibly unimpressed. You school yourself into your best poker face and hope it's decent since you don't have your shades to back you up. “Mister Strider, what are you doing out at this time of night?”

“Sorry Ms. Maryam. Nature called, and it was my duty as a civilized man to answer.”

“Mhm.”

“What are you doing out after lights out?”

“I'm ensuring that my campers aren't engaging in activities outside their cabins, or having illicit rendezvous with their boyfriends after lights out.”

Shit.

“Well, seems like you're doing a bang-up job, Ms. Maryam. Guess I'll just head back to bed.”

“Mhm.”

“Good night, Ms. Maryam.”

“Mhm.”

You abscond into your cabin before you can give your own secret away and make a mental note to ask Karkat if his guardian is psychic, or if that's just a mom thing in general.

 

~~~

 

Gravel crunches under your sneakers as you walk through the trail leading from the parking lot, through the woods, into a ring of log cabins. You try to quiet your steps as you approach the head cabin, because while you'll probably be able to weasel your way out of an encounter with nearly anyone in this camp, if Ms Maryam catches you out after lights out again, you're fucked sideways up the ass with a rusty rake. Fortunately for you and your plush ass, the lights in Director Maryam's cabin are darkened and all is quiet. With a little more ease in your step, you sneak straight past Cabin #4, which contains your own bedroll, as well as your co-counselor and your six tiny charges. You tap quietly on the door to Cabin #6 with your wares in a plastic Walmart bag. The door opens a crack and a furtive whisper sounds from inside. “You got the goods, Strider?”

“You know it.”

“Fucking YES,” the voice hisses, still low and quiet so as not to give the two of you away. You pull the screen door open slowly to stifle the loud squeak it always gives when the ancient, weather-worn hinges move. The owner of the quiet voice moves to let you into the cabin, and you follow him across the dark room to the nearest set of bunk beds. The two of you slip as quietly as possible into the lower bunk and pull the unzipped sleeping bag over your heads. A flashlight turns on, pointed straight into your face.

“Shit! Karkat!” you say, a little louder than you meant to. A hand claps over your mouth as Karkat re-aims the flashlight so that it isn't blinding you. He slowly releases your mouth and presses a finger to his lips. You rub the spots out of your eyes and glare at him. He's sitting cross-legged on his bunk in a pair of shorts and one of last year's camp t-shirts. His dark hair is matted down against the flannel lining of the sleeping bag, and you can tell he's tired, but there's a gleam of anticipation in his eye that makes you smile.

“Shut up, you giant baby,” he whispers. “Show me what you got.”

You press the bag into his hands. “Only the best for you, babe.”

Karkat reaches into the bag and pulls out the first item. He levels you with an unimpressed look. “Being a little presumptuous, aren't we, Strider?”

“Shit,” you hiss, pulling the box of condoms out of his hands. “Those are for John. He thinks he's gonna get somewhere with that chick from cabin 8.”

Karkat snorts – quietly, of course. “That's just what she does, Dave. And tell John not to hold his breath. Between the two of them, they're responsible for a dozen elementary schoolers.”

“So are we, and here I am in your bed after lights out.”

“Shut your cakehole, Dave, I'm trying to make a point. Even if Vriska was interested in John, when do they seriously think they're going to have time to sacrifice John's virginity to the lake monster? I mean, it took three days of planning and a four mile walk for cookies just to get you hiding under the covers with me.”

“And we're not even planning to boink,” you add. Karkat plants his hand in the middle of your face and shoves you backward. You grin at him in the light of the flashlight and he rolls his eyes at you before pulling a sleeve of Oreos from the bag and carefully peeling the label back.

“You're such a moron,” he mutters, but you know it means “I love you.”

You reach for one of Karkat's cookies and accidentally knock the flashlight off of Karkat's knee. It hits the floor with a loud thunk and rolls toward the door. You and Karkat freeze, listening.

“Mister Vantas?” A rustling noise accompanies the sleepy voice, letting you both know that you fucked up. Karkat's hand stays over your mouth.

“Yes, Jake?”

“What are you doing under your blankets?”

“Writing a fucking book. Go to sleep.”

“Whoa, I had no idea you wanted to be a novelist, mister Vantas,” Jake's sleepy voice sounds a little more excited and you roll your eyes as Karkat stifles a groan. He forces you to lay back, hidden under the sleeping bag, while he climbs out from underneath to retrieve the flashlight and put Jake back to bed. Unfortunately, now the others are stirring and you are tempted to get up and help Karkat pacify them. You're not entirely sure of the best way to explain why you were in Karkat's bed instead of your own bed, in your own cabin. Especially since your baby brother is in the bunk beneath Jake's.

“Why are you making so much noise?” The high-pitched lisp of the third grader missing half his teeth belongs to the Captor kid. “Is it morning? Did we sleep through breakfast? Who turned off the sun?”

“No, it's about two hours after lights out, Mituna,” Karkat replies with stretched patience in his voice. “It's time to go back to sleep.”

Rufioh's voice rings through the cabin clear and loud, “Kurloz says he wants a drink of water.”

Karkat sighs, and you hear footsteps, and then the bathroom tap turns on and off again.

“Y'all shut up,” Dirk whines from the back corner. “Tryin'a sleep.”

“Don't fret, Strider!” Jake chimes in, sounding suddenly way more awake than any of you counselors have felt in weeks. Wait, what are you saying? All the counselors are college students – you haven't felt awake since summer before senior year. “I'm sure all this hullabaloo will die down in short order. But first, I'd like a drink of water as well!”

“Jake, just...” Karkat groans and retreats to the bathroom again.

“What's all up and going on, my miraculous little bros?” Gamzee's rolling baritone joins the sleepy throng and you can almost physically feel Karkat's blood vessels popping one by one.

“Nothing. Nothing is going on! Sleep is what is supposed to be going on, but sleep has made like Elvis and left the building! Now would anyone else like a fucking drink of water before I get back into my own bed and stay there for the next three years?”

“Well that's an awful long time to sleep, Mister Vantas,” Jake chimes in, his voice concerned. “I think camp is over in about two weeks, isn't it?”

Gamzee chuckles at what you can only imagine is Karkat's exasperated expression in the illumination of the flashlight. “A'ight, my miracle brothers, let's get our shut-eye on and let Kar-bro here get back to his beauty sleep.”

“Thank you. Good night.”

There is a snap of the flashlight shutting off and a chorus of goodnights from around the room as Karkat slips back under the sleeping bag and lays beside you, resting his head on your arm. He pulls the cover back over your heads, but leaves the flashlight off. The two of you lay in silence for several minutes, listening as one by one, each member of the cabin adds his snores to the quiet room. After a while, Karkat puts his mouth right up to your ear and whispers, “Why don't we do this in your fucking cabin next time?”

“Dude, you forget that your little brother is in my cabin,” you reply, almost mouthing the words into his ear rather than whispering. “Plus John would be on you like a flea on a dog. Gamzee's too chilled out to notice the extra human-sized lump in your bed.”

“Why did we go to summer camp this year? Why didn't we stay home and sow our wild oats in the privacy of your bedroom?”

“Because you love your foster family more than life, and also Gamzee wields that purple permanent marker with more speed and precision than those guys who engrave your name on grains of rice at the state fair.”

Karkat growls and buries his face in your neck. You let your head tilt over to rest on his. “Two weeks, Karkat. Then we're home free.”

“Longest fucking two weeks of the whole summer,” Karkat grumbles, before stuffing a whole Oreo in his mouth.

You stay with Karkat until the sun starts to paint the horizon.

 

~~~

 

It's the last Saturday night of camp and while your campers play ball with the staff, you are sequestered in the crafts cabin with the rest of the counselors. The place reeks of white glue and melted crayons, and you complain loudly about this fact until John retrieves an ancient electric fan and positions it in front of the open cabin door. The breeze helps the smell die off, and helps with the stale air in the cabin as well. Vriska grins at him and bats her eyelashes. “John, you're just the greatest! Isn't John the greatest?”

“The bees knees, really,” you deadpan, and Sollux begins to cackle in the background. “So why are we here?”

You've no sooner finished speaking than Terezi stands up and shouts, “I bet you're wondering why I've gathered you all here!”

“Yeah, I did kind of just ask.”

“Shut up, Strider! I've gathered you all here because it's the last Saturday of camp!”

“The crickets are wondering what the point is, Rez.”

“What did I tell you, Dave? Shut your wonderful cherry pie hole!”

Karkat digs his fingernails into the skin above your left hip and you yelp. Terezi cackles. “Anyway, we're going to play Cards Against Humanity, and you are all going to enjoy it!”

“Strip Cards Against Humanity?” Vriska and Eridan ask at the same time. They shoot each other a strange look, but grin regardless. Karkat curls his lip in distaste.

“You two are the worst.”

“I reel-ly prefer Rando Cardrissian, if we're voting on house rules.”

John scoffs. “Please, Rebooting the Universe is where it's at.”

“Rebooting the Universe is basically cheating, John,” Vriska scoffs. “Don't get me wrong, it's great to play that rule, but it ain't the best one out there.”

You lean close to Karkat's ear and whisper, “So if we snuck out right now, how long until you think they'd notice?”

“You wouldn't get out the door before Terezi notices,” Karkat returns, just as quietly. “You really do reek of cherries.”

“I try. So let's bounce.”

“But Terezi said--”

“Would you rather stay here while everyone exploits Sollux's turn as card czar to play 'Bees?' and Vriska tries to talk everyone into playing with eight cards instead of ten, or go back to your cabin and get two hours of blissful silence before the runts return?”

You can feel Karkat work the muscles in his jaw before answering. “I'll go first. You follow in three minutes.”

“You got it, babe.”

Karkat stands up and mutters an excuse that doesn't generate much attention other than John and Vriska arguing over who should start as Card Czar. You count to about ten in your head before saying “screw it” and following Karkat.

“We're playing Happy Ending and that's final!” Terezi shrieks, and yeah, you're definitely glad you left.

Karkat isn't even halfway across the gravel circle before you catch up to him. “That was not three minutes,” he grumbles, but he weaves his fingers through yours and you know he's not mad.

“I missed you too much,” you tell him, leaning down to press a grin to his cheek. “Couldn't wait.”

“You impatient ass,” Karkat says, pulling open the door to his cabin.

“I'm gonna cuddle you so hard,” you tell him, but he freezes and your attention goes to Gamzee's bunk, which is very much occupied by two rather nude persons. Gamzee untangles himself from Tavros' limbs and tosses you an easy grin.

“Whoops, our bad,” you say.

Tavros makes an unintelligible noise and Karkat plants both of his hands on your chest to shove you backwards out of the cabin. The door bangs shut and Karkat buries his face in your shirt. “Tell me that Gamzee wasn't having sex with Tavros Nitram in my cabin just now. Tell me.”

“I would, but lying doesn't sit real well with my in my old age. Seriously though, I didn't even notice they weren't at Rez's game night. Was anyone else missing? Who was there? John, Vriska, Feferi...”

“Oh god, there are going to be KIDS in that cabin tonight,” Karkat moans. You chuckle and pat his back.

“They'll never know the difference.”

“But I'll know the difference, Dave. I'll know.”

“So I'm guessing that I'm not getting any action if we head over to my cabin right now?”

“Do you have any brain bleach in your cabin? I'd like to forget the last ten minutes ever happened.”

“Oh honey, I can make you forget everything but my name if you give me the chance.”

Karkat slaps your arm.

“Ow. Fine. How about we go sit by the lake for a while? Hopefully no one is having sex in the lake. Ow, stop hitting me. Dude, this is, like, domestic assault. Ow!”

 

~~~

 

On the last night of camp, all the staff, counselors, and campers gather around the pit in the center of the gravel ring to enjoy one last bonfire. Everyone's riding high on the knowledge that this is the last night, and you are going to make it a great one.

Jack asks Missy to be his girlfriend, and she accepts shyly. Feferi and Nepeta coo loudly and Cronus complains until Porrim plants her hand over his mouth to shut him up.

Rufioh starts a sing-along that goes pretty swimmingly until Roxy and Calliope lose track of the words and confuse Mituna, who upsets Caliborn, who then attempts to force Jane to hug him. Jane wants no part of this, and John takes Caliborn back to the cabin to cool off.

Cronus tells Latula he wants her to be his girlfriend, and she says no.

Gamzee and Kurloz paint all the campers' faces by the light of the fire.

Cronus tells Meulin he wants her to be his girlfriend, and she begins crying over some sort of chart until Nepeta sits beside her and banishes Cronus to the other end of the bonfire.

Kankri eats seventeen s'mores and throws up in the bushes. Kanaya takes him to Ms. Maryam's cabin to lie down.

Cronus tells Meenah he wants her to be his girlfriend, and she punches him in the face. Feferi takes him to the nurse's cabin.

You confiscate Jack's pocket knife for the ninety-third time this summer, and tell him he'll get it back tomorrow. (You're not planning to give it back because honestly, that kid is going to stab someone someday and you will not be held responsible for that). Missy holds his hand and he seems to be at least placated by her hand in the absence of his knife.

The whole time, Karkat's head is on your shoulder, and marshmallows make him sleepy, so you really aren't that surprised when Ms. Maryam sends all the campers back to their bunks for lights out and you discover that Karkat has fallen asleep. He slumps further into you and you catch Ms. Maryam giving you a rather tender look. She nods, and you carefully arrange Karkat in your arms so that you can pick him up and carry him to his bunk. He nuzzles his face into your shoulder as you find your balance and begin to head for cabin #6.

“David.”

You crane your neck and try not to drop Karkat as Ms. Maryam calls your name. “Yes ma'am?”

“I'll send Gamzee to cabin #4 with John tonight. You boys get some sleep. I'll need you all bright eyed and bushy tailed to pack these kids up by eleven tomorrow morning.”

You smile. “Yes ma'am.”

Ms. Maryam herds a few campers toward their respective cabins and you make your way to cabin #6. Jake holds the door for you so that you can get Karkat inside without whacking any limbs into the doorway. You carefully set him on his bed and go to move away, but his grip tightens unexpectedly and sends you sprawling on top of him, locked in a vice grip. After a bit of shifting, you realize Karkat is way more awake than he appears to be, and is actually consciously refusing to let go of you. “Dick,” you mumble. “At least scoot over.”

Karkat obliges, scooting over so that the two of you fit tightly together in his bunk.

Dirk snickers from somewhere across the room. “Gaaaaaay.”

“Shut the fuck up, li'l man.”

“Well you are.”

Jake reaches down and paps at Dirk's face with a little hand. “Hush Dirk. I think it's nice that your big bro and Mister Vantas love each other.”

Dirk rolls his eyes, but doesn't argue with Jake. The rest of the campers tuck themselves into bed without complaint, and one by one, their flashlights shut off, leaving cabin #6 ensconced in darkness. You settle your nose into Karkat's hair and let the warm body wrapped around yours lull you to sleep in short order.

 

~~~

 

The morning is hell, but it's the promise that by three pm this afternoon you will be in your own bed at home that keeps you moving. You get your campers up and into the mess hall for breakfast at 8, and after shoveling down some french toast, you all return to your cabins to pack up and make sure that none of the campers have lost any of their belongings under bunks or the mattresses. 

As a going away present, you and John allow the kids you've spent the last six weeks watching over to push you off the dock into the lake. Jack and Caliborn cackle in a seriously creepy way when you and John surface, but Cronus and Horuss cheer and grin at you. Kankri just sort of stands there like he wants to lecture you about the impracticality of letting six 9 year olds shove you off the end of a wooden dock while fully dressed. When you finally get out of the water, dripping from your shorts and your hair, John tries to initiate a group hug, which sends all six of them scattering from you. Karkat strolls over and tosses you and John each a towel and rolls his eyes. “You dumbasses. Now you're driving home in wet clothes.”

“I think it was worth it!” John chirps, toweling off his hair and going to corral the kids toward the buses that will be leaving within the next twenty minutes. You throw your pride to the wind and scrub the towel over your head, effectively drying your blond locks of most of the moisture. Karkat smirks at you.

“You look like a wet dog.”

“Love you too, baby,” you tease, pulling at the wet fabric of your t-shirt. Karkat hands you your shades, which you gave to him for safekeeping before the lake thing. You peck him on the lips and slide them onto your face.

“Finally homeward bound, huh?” he remarks, folding one of your hands up in his as you head for the buses.

“Guess so, snook'ems.” You try to wrap your arm around Karkat's waist, but he makes a rather interesting noise and retreats to a safe distance. You guess you're not getting any cuddle action until your clothes have dried out a bit. You wave at your campers as they clamber onto their respective buses. As much as you hate to say it, you might miss the little assholes. But you've missed Karkat more. “You'll be home tomorrow?” Since Karkat's guardian runs the place, she stays behind and makes sure all the cabins get tidied up at the end of summer.

“Actually, Kanaya and Rose volunteered to stay behind and clean, so Mom said I could drive home with you, if that's okay.” A blush coats Karkat's cheeks, and makes you grin stupidly. God, you love him.

“Sleepover at mine? Hells yeah.”

Karkat gives you a rare, wide grin. “I'll say bye to Mom and meet you at your truck.”

“Make it snappy, darlin'.” You watch Karkat sprint for Ms. Maryam's cabin with a stupid look on your face before finding your own duffel bag in the pile you and the other counselors made while packing up that morning, and heading for your pick-up thinking that maybe – just maybe – this wasn't a half bad way to spend your summer. And, you remind yourself as you watch Karkat shoulder his bag and kiss his foster mom's cheek, the summer isn't over yet.


End file.
